Highlights of what I have been learning on my PhD journey and the small successes along the way
2024
Led the spatial transcriptomic analysis of pediatric medulloblastoma samples, culminating in a first-author manuscript and our work being selected for four conference presentations.
Our work on acute distension injury was accepted and published in Circulation Research.
I joined the Immune Atlas consortium team led by the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF), where I contributed to the most recent manuscript profiling the multiple myeloma tumor microenvironment as a second author. This work also served as a foundational project for my thesis work, centered on leading an expanded single-cell analysis of ~500 MM patient samples, specifically investigating how ncRNA networks regulate malignant phenotypes, ultimately shaping the immune landscape in MM.
I presented my work on arterial bypass graft failure and medulloblastoma at the Atlanta Workshop on Single-cell Omics (AWSOM) conference and the award for best oral presentation. The keynote speakers delivered excellent presentations and I learned about several different methodologies that I am eager to apply to my own research.
Completed my PhD coursework and passed my oral qualifying exam, becoming a PhD candidate!
2023
Submitted my first-author publication on the investigation of acute distension injury during arterial bypass procedures using integrated single-cell and spatial transcriptomics. It has been a huge pleasure to collaborate with an interdisciplinary team of talented surgeons and scientists at Harvard Medical School, and I look forward to continuing our investigations further.
My abstract was accepted and selected for oral and poster presentations at the American Heart Association VRIC and Vascular Discovery conferences in Boston in May 2023. It was great to share and discuss our work with other researchers in the field!
Presented two of my research projects at the Atlanta Workshop on Single-cell Omics (AWSOM) conference and won my first symposium award for best oral presentation! This workshop was a great experience, where I learned about the latest research from other graduate students and leaders in the field of single-cell omics.
I began a collaboration leading the single-cell analysis of murine B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) samples and the effects of gene therapy on the bone marrow immune microenvironment.
I completed a collaboration
Finished my first year of classes, maintaining a 4.0 GPA, and passed my first-year written qualifying exam.
2022
Began working on my first project in the Bhasin Lab, focusing on investigating the effects of preoperative drug treatment on tumor resection via single-cell transcriptomic analysis. Through this project, I was able to develop foundational skills in scRNA-seq bioinformatic analysis, as well as develop my knowledge of immunology and the immune cell landscape.
Began working with our team of collaborators at Harvard Medical School to harness spatial single-cell analysis to investigate vein graft failure. The project has been exciting and challenging, as we carry out the first spatial transcriptomic investigations of veins.
Completed my first semester in the Cancer Biology PhD program with a 4.0 GPA.
Aided in the submission of an R22 grant to develop the second version of our Survival Genie platform, and began preparing NIH F31 and ASH fellowship applications to support my work on this project through my Ph.D. training.